Stacy Bohrer, VP of Buyer Development at OpenX shares a few top of mind thoughts on the state of digital advertising in this catch up:

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Hi Stacy, welcome to our martech interview series. Tell us more about yourself and your role at OpenX.

Before coming to OpenX, which is a supply-side platform, I worked across radio, print, TV and the demand side. I’ve spent the last fifteen years building strong teams and OpenX is no exception. I am immensely proud of the work my team is doing.

Storytelling is at the core of what I do, and in my current role as VP of buyer development for North America I’ve been focusing on building narratives that showcase how OpenX’s stands out from other SSPs. The buyer development team hit incredible goals in 2023 and we’re on track to do more of the same in 2024.

When it comes to driving marketing with better and stronger data processes: what do you see today’s marketers and advertisers struggle with?

Data privacy regulation and consumers operating in cookieless environments have been driving the need for better data processes for some time.

Solving these addressability issues requires a multi-layered approach, which is something OpenX has been working on for the better part of a decade. Buyers need to be seeking out partners who have a strong people-based graph that enables them to target with precision and scale well into the future.

Finally, different platforms, solutions and technologies need to work in harmony to maintain the flow of data and provide brands and agencies with the insights they need to inform their campaigns.

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Can you comment on how SSPs are evolving in the market?

We’re changing what it means to be an SSP. Today, you see the term “curation” all over the place, but it’s not new. In fact, it’s something that we’ve been doing since 2018. Curation is the strategic aggregation, filtering, activation, and measurement of advanced audiences through DSP-agnostic deal IDs provided to advertisers by SSPs and their curation partners. Buyers want more control, and this is how we provide it.

We are placing much more emphasis on buyer education – we’ve never had a VP of buyer development before I took on my current role, highlighting how important we consider the needs of buyers to be. Advertisers want to be able to activate impactful campaigns, so high-quality inventory backed by granular audience data is core to their requirements.

What should modern advertisers do more of to drive growth goals in today’s crowded digital advertising market?

At its core, advertising has always been about delivering unforgettable experiences to key audiences. There’s an abundance of creative brilliance in the industry – we saw this in Cannes this year – but uncertainty around how best to reach audiences can mean this creativity might not always generate the impact it deserves.

Advertisers must find targeting and measurement solutions that give them the precision, scale, and performance they need to ensure the quality of their creative is maximized. Advanced identity tools and efficient supply chains are crucial to ensure that creative is reaching the best audiences.

With the digital advertising landscape evolving rapidly, advertisers need to form trusted partnerships with businesses that can help them navigate through all the changes. They should look to organizations that aren’t merely service providers but that will work alongside them and genuinely add value, understanding what their current and future needs are.

What’s piquing your interest in the industry right now? Are you finding any products or features particularly inspiring?

CTV is an area that has so much potential for enabling premium advertising experiences. The possibilities around personalization and interactivity – even shoppable ads – are hugely exciting for advertisers, as well as the ability to drive and measure outcomes. Unlocking the full potential of CTV requires seeking out partners that have direct relationships with premium broadcasters and publishers and who categorize content appropriately. Gaming apps and other unintentional inventory shouldn’t be sold alongside CTV. Marketers should know exactly what they’re buying for their CPMs – and that it’s true lean-back TV content.

Something else that touches on every aspect of our industry is sustainability and responsible media, and I’m proud of the work OpenX is doing to create a more sustainable digital advertising ecosystem. We were the first Net-Zero verified media, technology, or advertising company, and we are helping clients and partners reduce their environmental impact while achieving their KPIs. Looking at the bigger picture, the power of advertising to drive meaningful change both within the industry and in wider society is massive.

Some takeaways and best practices you’d leave our martech and marketing readers with before we wrap up?

One of the few constants in the world of marketing is change. The landscape is continually shifting, and we can’t afford to stand still. To that end, it’s important to consider yourself a lifelong student and have an ongoing quest for knowledge. Take every opportunity to learn new things and network with industry leaders and innovators.

Building effective teams is also essential to success in marketing – and anywhere else for that matter. For leaders, it’s vital to empower your team with everything they need to succeed and clear a path for them by being a blocker and tackler. You’d be amazed what giving team members space and safety to be their authentic selves will do for a business.

And I’d be remiss not to reiterate that diversity is also paramount to success. Representation matters; there are still not enough women – particularly BIPOC women – working in senior roles in martech. Seeing more women in leadership roles will encourage others as they can see a potential pathway for themselves. And it’s been proven that more diversity leads to a more successful organization.

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